Irish
County Meath Tartans & Clan
County Meath lies just above Dublin on the east coast of Ireland, and was historically home to the ancient High Kings of Ireland. The area is one of the first settlements in Ireland with the world famous Bru na Boinne tomb at the Boyne Valley believed to have been constructed over 5000 years ago. Discover more about the county below.
Who Wears County Meath Tartan? - Associated Names
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
- Barnwell
- Bates
- Chevers
- Connegan
- D'Lacy
- Darcy
- Devan
- Dillon
- Dowall
- Drake
- Dunn
- Ennis
- Fagan
- Gibney
- Hand
- Hayes
- Hussey
- Langan
- Loughnane
- Murtagh
- Nangle
- Netherville
- Nugent
- O'Carolan
- O'Connolly
- O'Kelly
- O'Regan
- O'Rory
- Peppard
- Traynor
County Meath Tartans
1 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the Start
County Meath Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
County Meath lies just above Dublin on the east coast of Ireland, and was historically home to the ancient High Kings of Ireland. The area is one of the first settlements in Ireland with the world famous Bru na Boinne tomb at the Boyne Valley believed to have been constructed over 5000 years ago. It is also commonly known as the Royal County as the High Kings of Ireland settled in Meath at the Hill of Tara, where they ruled into the 11th century with the four major clans being the O'Regan's, O'Kelly's, O'Connolly's and the O'Donovan's. The Hill of Tara has two ring fort enclosures and right in the middle of the Royal Seat is a standing stone. Much like the rest of Ireland, Meath fell under Norse control during the early 12th century, however not long afterwards the English King Henry II placed Hugh de Lacy in charge of the land. Once Henry II declared the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542, Meath was divided into two to allow for more effective rule is areas England had previously lost control over. During the 17th century, the Battle of the Boyne also took place in Meath, but the defeat of the Jacobite's ended the possibility of an autonomous Irish Kingdom.
What's in the tartan?
The County Meath tartan is mainly red with stipes of yellow, blue and black throughout.
The Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara is a historic site found between Navan and Dunshaughlin which contains numerous ancient monuments. The earliest ruin which is still visible today is the Neolithic passage tomb called Dbha na nGiall which was built around 3200 BC, as well various Bronze Age earth worked burial mounds where there are two ring shaped embankments known as Teach Chormaic, Comracs House, and Forradh, the Royal Seat. When the High Kings came to prominence during the Iron Age and the early Christian period, this was their seat of power where they reigned over Ireland for over 400 years and phallic pillar, the 'Stone of Destiny', is believed to have been used for their inauguration which stands at the top of The Royal Seat. Additionally, this was where St. Patrick met with the high kings when he travelled over the sea for the first time successfully establishing Christianity in Ireland. There are guided tours available at the Hills of Tara which help you uncover the regal history of the remarkable place allowing you to explore County Meath's rich heritage!
The name Meath comes from the anglicised version of the Irish Midhe, meaning 'middle' or 'centre'.
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